This is one of the funniest movies I know, but its reputation as an all-time great comedy can set up false expectations. There are more funny lines and great quotes in this movie than any comedy I've ever seen -- but its overall mood is an elegy.
The first time I watched it, I was out of sync. People told me it was a riot of laughs, so I was caught off guard by its much more mixed atmosphere. I laughed, but wasn't expecting the melancholy. When I watched it again, with different expectations, I found it both funnier and sadder, simultaneously -- and that feeling grows with every viewing.
It is brilliantly written, acted, and produced. Don't miss it, but don't expect it to be light.
The first time I watched it, I was out of sync. People told me it was a riot of laughs, so I was caught off guard by its much more mixed atmosphere. I laughed, but wasn't expecting the melancholy. When I watched it again, with different expectations, I found it both funnier and sadder, simultaneously -- and that feeling grows with every viewing.
It is brilliantly written, acted, and produced. Don't miss it, but don't expect it to be light.